Vulcania

Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne

LoginSave

The Auvergne's long-extinct volcanoes are brought back to life in spectacular style at Vulcania theme park, 15km west of Clermont on the D941. Combining an educational museum with thrills and spills, highlights include 12-minute 'dynamic 3D' film Awakening of the Auvergne Giants, depicting volcanic eruptions complete with air blasts and water spray, a Tornado Alley audiovisual, and the Cité des Enfants (Kids' City), with activities specially geared for three- to seven-year-olds.

In summer, check the website for evening events including fireworks and parades.

Vulcania was dreamt up by French geologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who were tragically killed in a volcanic eruption on Mt Unzen in Japan a year before its 1992 opening.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Notre Dame Cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

    Cathédrale Notre Dame

    7.42 MILES

    Clermont-Ferrand’s skyline broods with volcanic stone, but its most impressive edifice is Cathédrale Notre-Dame, whose 108m twin spires pierce the sky…

  • Lac Pavin and forest.

    Lac Pavin

    21.83 MILES

    This midnight-blue crater lake, enclosed by a fuzz of pine trees, lies 6km southwest of Besse. Blasted out of the earth by a volcanic explosion nearly…

  • Musée de la Coutellerie

    Musée de la Coutellerie

    29.44 MILES

    Split across two buildings, this museum gives an entertaining account of cutlery-making history. In number 23, a kid-friendly sound-and-light show evokes…

  • Volcan de Lemptégy

    Volcan de Lemptégy

    0.38 MILES

    Feel the Auvergne's smouldering terrain beneath your feet at this mined volcanic site, across the main road from amusement park Vulcania. In summer, at…

  • Château de Murol

    Château de Murol

    16.24 MILES

    Roosting on a basalt knoll above Murol village, the 12th-century Château de Murol offers peerless views along with insights into a brutish medieval past…

  • Musée d'Art Roger Quilliot

    Musée d'Art Roger Quilliot

    8.61 MILES

    Housed in an Ursuline convent 3km northeast of central Clermont, the city’s premier gallery takes design cues from NYC’s Guggenheim, its white spiral…

  • Musée Mandet

    Musée Mandet

    10.16 MILES

    Dating back to 1866, the Musée Mandet's splendid collection of art is arranged across two atmospheric hôtels particuliers (town houses). Exploring these…

  • Fontaines Pétrifiantes

    Fontaines Pétrifiantes

    16.09 MILES

    The Papon family put St-Nectaire's hot springs to creative use at the 'Petrifying Fountains', channelling the mineral-rich waters to make art. Calcium…

View more attractions

Nearby Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne attractions

1. Volcan de Lemptégy

0.38 MILES

Feel the Auvergne's smouldering terrain beneath your feet at this mined volcanic site, across the main road from amusement park Vulcania. In summer, at…

2. Temple de Mercure

3.04 MILES

An enigmatic imprint of the distant past stands atop the summit of Puy de Dôme: a 1st-century Gallo-Roman temple undergoing gradual restoration…

3. Espace d'Information

5.85 MILES

Learn about Volvic's world-famous mineral water at the company's Espace d'Information, a 10-minute walk west of Volvic's tourist office. Free hour-long…

4. Maison de la Pierre

6.03 MILES

Gasp at the daredevil quarrying feats of Volvic's past in this kid-friendly museum. There are subterranean passages to explore (bring a jacket) and flash…

5. Église St-Priest

6.24 MILES

A fine example of a Romanesque church, 12th-century St-Priest has dark volcanic stone details and boasts three richly decorated chapels. Look up to see…

6. Musée de la Résistance

6.62 MILES

In a simple, schoolroom format, this small museum details the chronology of events following 21 June 1940, when Nazi troops marched into Clermont-Ferrand…

7. Château de Tournoël

6.83 MILES

This medieval fortress glowers over Volvic from its 600m-high hilltop perch. A watchtower is thought to have stood here since the 10th century, but the…

8. Église St-Eutrope

7.19 MILES

Sprouting from the 5th-century site of one of Clermont-Ferrand's oldest churches is this magnificent 12th-century church, crowned with a prickly Gothic…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "france/puy-de-dome/attractions/vulcania/a/poi-sig/1192827/1323459",
  "destination": "Parc-Naturel-Régional-des-Volcans-d'Auvergne",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "France",
  "region": "Parc-Naturel-Régional-des-Volcans-d'Auvergne",
  "position": "superzone"
}